It's Time, Jade
by Metatron85
Summary: Tori is going into labor and Jade is trying to be everything she needs. Jori one-shot. From an idea by FuckTheReaper.


**A/N: Big thanks are in order to FuckTheReaper who left the 300th review for _Edge_. And in gratitude for helping me reach this plateau, this one shot is for you. We've got some Jori awesomeness in the delivery room. Here we go ;-) **

* * *

Jade West was curled up in her favorite chair, watching _American Horror Story_ when something disturbed her. It sounded like something hard dropped onto the floor. At first she was agitated and tried to return to her show when a familiar voice bellowed.

"JAAAAADE!" came a shrill tone from upstairs.

The pale skin girl bounded up to meet her wife. Her progress was hastened by the sight of fluid on the floor.

"Oh my god," Jade blurted out. "Tori? Are you okay?"

The half Latina came hobbling out of their bedroom, clutching her stomach with one hand and bracing her back with the other.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK?!"

"Oh shit!" Jade said. "It's time?"

"It's time, Jade" Tori growled.

Within seconds, Jade became a whirlwind frantically running around the house looking around.

"Babe," Tori groaned. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Trying to look for that hospital bag with all the stuff in it!"

Tori pointed to a big black bag still wrapped in the plastic from when it was bought four months ago at the foot of the bed. With nothing inside it.

"OH, SHIT!" Jade said to herself.

Tori began to cry in pain. Jade rushed over to grab her hand and led her downstairs.

"Jadey, it hurts so much."

"I know, hunny bunny." Jade detested that term of endearment but it always calmed Tori down when she was particularly upset so she let it pass. "But lets get you in the car and just talk to your mom on the phone while I pack."

"Okies," she nodded. "Please don't be long, baby."

"Two minutes," Jade said. "Promise."

* * *

"Tori? Tori?" Holly Vega asked. "You're breathing heavy, is the baby alr-"

"Mommy," she winced. "He's coming. Right now."

"Oh Christ! I'm sorry...I...hold on...I need to get somethi-" Tori then heard her mother shouting, leaning away from the phone. "DAVID! GET DOWN HERE! TORI'S GOING INTO LABOR!"

Tori could make out an unintelligible echoed response in her father's voice.

"Where are you?" she asked, sounding like she was hyperventilating with excitement. "Are you checked in yet?"

"Uh, no. We're on our way now," Tori lied. "Oh, yes Jade's taking good care of me. She has it under control."

* * *

"WHERE IS EVERYTHING IN THIS GODDAMN HOUSE!" Jade screamed at the top of her lungs. She was confident that even she couldn't be heard way outside where Tori was in the car.

"So fucking stupid," she chastised herself. "I had all these months to get this stupid bag ready and here I am skulking around like one of those stupid dads on TV that don't know what to do."

Jade stopped pacing and took a deep breath, calming herself. She looked at the closet in their bedroom.

"Fuck it."

She grabbed about what looked like ten days worth of clothes and managed to cram them into the bag, leaving enough room for unmentionables and toiletries. Well, a toothbrush at least. Jade's logic was she probably wasn't going to wash her hair tonight so she had time to make a b-line to the pharmacy for any last minute items.

Jade was about to run out the front door, when she remembered some other stuff. Seeing there was clearly no more room in the bag, she grabbed a plastic grocery bag from the hanging rabbit with baggy pants in the kitchen. She shoved into it Tori's phone charger, her Kindle, the charger for _that_, a blank music sheet book, a couple of pens and a pad of paper. Finally, Jade threw in the spotted owl with huge eyes that she won for Tori on their first legitimate date (not ordained by Sikowitz).

* * *

Jade chucked the bags in the backseat of her gold Volkswagen Jetta.

"Where have you been, Jade?" Tori asked, holding her belly.

"I am so sorry," Jade sounded out of breath. "I was just making sure we had everything." She dug into the back and handed her the stuffed owl.

"Awww, Jadey" Tori pouted. "You remembered Biggles."

"Still don't know where the hell you came up with that name," Jade replied while starting the car.

Tori clutched the animal close to her chest as they sped out.

* * *

Checking into the hospital was more of a bother than Jade envisioned. They didn't have an orderly available at the moment to take Tori so they had to wait in the ER until triage called them.

Tori sat next to some magazines on a little table with a lamp and Jade was right beside her. And next to Jade was an older man hacking up a lung. Suddenly blue-green eyes became fixed on this sick man and Jade's nostrils flared.

"Could you not cough near my wife and child!"

The man looked more surprised than hurt and shuffled over to the other set of chairs.

"Jade, you gotta be nice" Tori protested.

"No, babe!" Jade retorted. "Not when some fuckwit might have the plague and he's breathing all over my family."

Tori smiled at the mention of her and the child as Jade's kin. "That's sweet babe but you should really stop cursing...for the baby."

Jade glared at her. "I don't fucking curse that much."

"Didn't my mom tell you the perils of arguing with a girl who's preggers?"

Jade shuddered. "Don't call it that."

"Miss Vega?" an orderly asked.

"FINALLY!" Jade exclaimed. "And its _West_ by the way."

"Sweetie," Tori pleaded. "Just let the man do his job."

"Fine," she sighed as she watched Tori being helped into a wheelchair. "I love you."

"Love you too."

"I'll be there," Jade added. She was then handed a clipboard with about fifteen pages on it. "Eventually."

* * *

After spending ten minutes filling out paperwork, Jade found where Tori was at. She lit up as soon as she saw the half Latina.

"Jade," she whispered. "You found me."

"Of course I did," Jade replied, rushing over to her. "Are you ok?"

"Other than being told I have to push something the size of a bowling ball through something the size of an orange."

"Wouldn't a peach be a more appropriate comparison?" Jade asked raising an eyebrow.

Tori gave her the evil eye. "Cute."

"Hey, I didn't get you pregnant so you know you can't get mad at..."

"OOOOOOHHHHFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

Jade suddenly became very aware of her hand being squeezed something awful. Tori's grip on the pale hand was like a steel trap. Jade sank to her knees in agony, screaming through gritted teeth. She really tried to suppress her own pain and focus on Tori but it was really difficult.

If Tori squeezed any harder, Jade thought, her fingers would be pointing in all directions.

If the bones in her hand didn't turn to dust first.

"T-t-t-toriii" Jade winced. "Just keep breathing, baby..."

A dog whistle level squeal escaped Jade's lips. _How the hell did this bitch manage to crush my hand even more?_

"BABY?" Tori screamed. "BABY?"

"Uh," Jade responded, jaw hanging open like a fish.

Tori tugged Jade's hand toward her so she was good and close.

"Don't you EVER say that word in front of MEEE!"

"I was..." Jade stammered. "Um, uh, I...okay."

Doctors and nurses began to scramble in to assist.

* * *

Two hours past and Tori was beyond drained of energy. Jade was beyond frustrated that there was nothing she could do to help.

"Jade..." Tori whispered, her mouth hanging partially open.

"Yes Tori," Jade sighed returning to her side after being told to stand clear by the medical people.

"I'm sorry for screaming at you."

"No, sweetie" Jade cooed. "It's okay really. You're going through a lot right now."

Tori looked away from Jade, toward the window. "I can't do this, Jade. It hurts."

Jade sympathized for Tori. She had a decent threshold for pain. Sort of went hand in hand with her morbid taste in movies and scissors and unexplained phenomenon. She really appreciated Tori electing herself for handling the pregnancy because of the divisive medical history on her family's side. The Vegas, as far as she knew, were pictures of health. And Tori's older sister indicated that their child's potential for raw talent has a 50/50 shot.

She wished there was something she could do to ease Tori's anguish but there wasn't.

Suddenly an idea flew into Jade's mind.

"Move over."

"What?" Tori asked.

"Scoot forward a little. Trust me."

"Okay," she grunted as she did just that. "Now what?"

Jade climbed onto the bed, sitting behind Tori. She then began to massage the half Latina's shoulders. Tori closed her eyes and silently appreciated her muscles getting tough love from the pale fingers of the girl behind her.

"Feel good?"

"Mm-hmm," was Tori's only reply.

"Hot?"

"Yeah," Tori sighed.

Jade grabbed a small white rag from the drawer of the nightstand that the hospitals so conveniently located BEHIND the patient and dipped it in the half melted ice bucket. After wringing it out a bit, Jade applied it to Tori's forehead.

"How's that?"

Tori exhaled considerably, signaling tremendous relief. Jade was pleased by the confirmation of the effectiveness of the gesture.

"Tori?" Jade said. "Whatever you need, I will get. You're thirsty? I will give you a drink. You're tired? I'm right here for you to lean on. If you have a hard time holding on, I will hold you tighter. Okay?"

Tori nodded.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

It was another taxing hour but Tori finally made it to the actual baby birth. The doctors weighed the male at 7 lbs., 10 oz. with a 16 in. length. Jade wanted to stay with Tori but she followed her wife's request and went with the baby all the way to the nursery. She was by his side the entire time until she had to settle for being behind the glass window. Two nurses came up to Jade and asked which one was hers and she pointed to the one in the powder blue cap, last from the left on the second row. They told her he was absolutely handsome and Jade thanked for the sentiment.

Once she felt contented with the progress going on in the nursery, Jade quickly made her way back to Tori's room.

"He's beautiful, Tori" Jade beamed like a proud mom.

Tori was drenched in sweat, her hair looked like she had just come in from the rain.

"Yes," she sighed. "I know."

"He looks just like you," Jade said as she sat by Tori's bedside. "The eyes and little nose..."

"You...think...so?"

Jade nodded profusely. "Absolutely. He's perfect."

"He'll have the perfect mother," Tori smiled.

"Who, me?" Jade pointed at herself.

Tori nodded. "Uh-huh"

"I think you're still not in your right mind from labor."

"No I'm not," Tori protested, trying to sit herself up. Jade held her back from moving and instead pushed the button from the remote attached to the bed to make the back raise up. "I meant what I said, Jade."

Jade just looked down and said nothing.

"What?" Tori asked. She then scooted to her right, leaving some room for Jade. "Come here."

The pale girl bit her lip and laid next to Tori who slowly made onto her side so she could see her face to face.

"Sweetheart," Tori began. "What makes you think that you wouldn't be a good mother?"

"I dunno," Jade shrugged. "Did you see how forgetful I was? How unprepared? Look at me; I'm a mess."

"Every new parent is a mess, babe."

"What makes you so confident?" Jade sighed.

Tori caressed Jade's soft features with her finger and smiled.

"Because I am looking into the eyes of the most beautiful and bravest woman I've ever known." Jade closed her eyes and let out a single tear as Tori went on. "She makes me feel stronger than people say I am. So strong that I faced this pregnancy thing and labor. All because we wanted a family."

"There's just one thing we need to discuss," Jade said.

"What's that?"

Jade traced her finger along Tori's frame. "I think we should formula feed."

"Oh really?" Tori blinked. "I thought we were gonna..."

"Uh, no" Jade replied wryly. "Why do you get to be the one who bonds with him?"

Tori shook her head. "Jade, you know that I can bottle up my milk, right?"

Jade shut her eyes, embarrassed by the brain fart. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"I am gonna miss one thing from this whole pregnant thing," Tori lamented.

"What?"

"My boobs," she sighed.

"What about them?" Jade asked.

"Uh, they're enormous! I mean, yours are 'whoa baby' but mine cast a freaking shadow."

"Haven't noticed," Jade shrugged.

"Yeah, right" Tori replied. "Don't think I didn't see you drool whenever I would put on an old t-shirt from high school."

Jade blushed, shutting her eyes.

"I didn't know you..."

"Come here, you sexy MILF"

Tori hugged Jade until she fell asleep from exhaustion. Jade played with Tori's brown locks for a while, thinking about how lucky she was until her cell rang. She struggled with getting it out of her pocket and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jade" called out Cat.

"What's up?"

"The baby; is he here yet?"

"Uh-huh," Jade grunted, trying to stretch. "Are you coming by soon?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Gonna bring over his first presents. Jade, are you ok? You sound out of breath."

"I'm trapped under something," Jade grinned.

"What?"

"Two gallons of milk," she giggled.


End file.
